Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born on October 15, 1931, in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. Kalam belonged to a humble background. His father Jainulabudeen was a poor boat owner and imam of a local mosque. His mother Ashiamma was a housewife.

Kalam did his schooling from Schwartz Higher Secondary School, Ramanathapuram. In 1954, he graduated in Science from St. Joseph's College, Trichy. He did a specialization in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology(MIT) in 1957.

Kalam's journey as a scientist started in 1960 as he joined Aeronautical Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) and later Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO). He dedicated four decades of his life as a scientist. With the development of ballistic missile and launch of vehicle technology, Kalam was given the title of the Missile Man of India. In 1997, he was conferred with the prestigious Bharat Ratna by the Government of India.

Kalam served as the 11th President of India from 2002-2007. He was affectionately called the People's President. After completing his tenure as the President, Kalam indulged himself in writing and penned down a famous book titled India 2020. On July 27, 2015, while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, Kalam suffered a cardiac arrest and died.